Special - What it means to be British

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The Times Higher invited five academics to comment on what it means to be British. Together, they ponder a very English identity crisis and chart the decline of formal religion.

There's a Scot, an Irishman and a man who is confused  
Bernard Crick ponders a very English identity crisis

We love a drop of sherry, but we can't take the strong stuff  
Keith Ward charts the decline of formal religion in Britain

What the Muslims can learn from the Jews  
David Cesarani says that Muslims are not alone in facing the pressures of finding a balance between national identity ad diasporic ambitions

Defined by some distinctly hyphenated Britishness  
Tariq Modood believes that rumours of the death of multiculturalism are exaggereated and can alienate the very communities that must be brought into the mainstream

It's falling apart at the seams  
Keith Hart argues that Britain has lost its sense of identity and predicts that this country is on its last legs